Matt reads the Diablo IV BOOK OF LORATH and reviews

Diablo IV Book of Lorath

Matthew J. Kirby (check his blog here) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

Diablo IV is a fantastic game, I have invested over 100 hours in it and continue to enjoy the challenges that the world of Sanctuary... It is a dream on PS5 and very worthy of your time. So, I was delighted to be asked by Titan Books to check out their gorgeously bound Book of Lorath which is a comprehensive, stunningly illustrated artifact supposedly handed down by the Horadric Order (an ancient band of heroes and scholars) itself...

It is everything you'd want in terms of a key to the lore of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise's latest offering. You will be immersed into the restless evils that haunt Sanctuary, and find out ways in which the Horadrim wielded the knowledge in this book to light the way for humanity. 

'feast on the knowledge'

In the Book of Lorath, you get to hear ro Lorath Nahr, one of the last of the dwindling Horadrim, on his journey through Sanctuary’s most powerful relics and discover the stories behind them. It is said that Lorath’s hope is that this volume will preserve his knowledge for all time . . . and pass it down to those who will inherit the fight against the Prime Evils. 

Created by the Diablo development team and award-winning author Matthew J. Kirby, this immersive, must-have compendium with all-new illustrations showcases the artifacts that have often been—and might yet be—the key to tipping the fate of the world.

Adventurers should secure a copy as soon as they can!!

Out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(5 - Diablo IV's essential accompaniment...)

Thanks to titan books for the copy!

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

Matt sees the Chrome Sky 2 (review)

 

CHROME SKY 2: The Bounty Hunters

Steven Mccumaskey (@EVCComicsBooks)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"Emerging in the gloom of the charcoal dust winds and ice rain came a blurred cluster of shapes nondescript that gradually mutated into the outline of a settlement..."

Journey back to a desolate planet where vast, metallic deserts hide all manner of sins. Following on but also telling the backstory of one of the '3 Devils' from the first issue. 

The plot sees an outlaw bounty hunter getting a sudden attack of conscience after she and her gang wound and cripple a young boy during their latest robbery. 

So far, so gritty, but then a series of double crossings and accomplices turning traitors, sees her left for dead with her comrades running off with her share of the loot.

But they should have made sure - because this bounty hunter isn't dead so easy and launches a quest to seek vengeance against those who betrayed her, justice for the injured child and redemption for herself. Back again is the deathly colour scheme and mix of limited visuals and text, counterposed with some stunning full pages of artwork.

The bounty hunter is wounded and broken in the badlands known as the iron plains, she tackles her first challenges of survival, facing off against the hostile elements and vicious creatures of the desert that threaten to destroy her before the mission can even begin. A fusion of mythic Western and dystopian cyberpunk, Envision Comics are making something very cool here.

Mccumaskey has a skill of spinning a tale that you want to find out where it goes, the good news is that there are another 11 episodes to come!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2

(4.5 - There is blood on the wind!! )

Read our review of Chrome Sky 1 HERE

Get your copy of CHROME SKY: The Bounty Hunters

Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out about my dark sci-fi novel...

Matt's Adventures About to Begin (review)

Adventures About to Begin 

Allen Therisa (@AllenTherisa) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"‘That David Bowie, he's just an old poof,’ Kelly snorted at this point giving two fingers to Nan's back. ‘And he’s a Nazi. It said so in the papers.’ … ‘You and that David bloody Bowie,’ Kelly sneered, following me one sulky step behind out into the hallway. ‘Why don’t you go and marry him if you think he’s brilliant? Which he’s not.’"

My favourite author was Iain Banks RIP and he started his family drama novel 'The Crow Road' with the line ''It was the day my grandmother exploded." So when the blurb for Adventures About to Begin started 'After the death of his grandfather, Noah’s life is thrown into chaos' I thought I should give it a go just in case it was as good...

OK, whilst Allen Therisa might not be the new Iain Banks (literally nobody is) - he does spin an interesting tale of a family where young Noah faces a repressed past which threatens everything he believes to be true. 

Noah's life is not straightforward, he has to navigate a difficult relationship with his sister, Kelly, as they reflect on their turbulent childhood – being taken from London to live in the Kent countryside following the breakdown of their parent’s marriage. 

The story is set from the 1970s onwards (in Kent where I grew up) and forms an excellent nostalgia trip for those who remember things like Sugar Puffs and Abba (yep, that's me again)!? Adventures About To Begin chronicles a collapsing marriage as experienced by its children and reflects on how memory shapes our decisions at crucial junctures during our lives. 

At times it is funny and touching, as well as a sensitive insight into British family life during a period of great social and cultural change.

Growing up in the '70s wasn't easy and the challenges that Noah faces including the death of his grandfather and remembering the traumatic fallout from his parent's marriage will resonate with many readers. Therisa writes in a pretty basic style but it works here to convey the emotions and thoughts of the cast of characters. I particularly liked the glossary in the back too as it is like a fun trip through British culture of the time period.

Who is this Allen Therisa?

Aside from writing fiction, Allen Therisa also writes for blogs on everything from popular culture to politics, outside of his working life in the world of social media and website design. Adventures About To Begin is his debut novel.

Follow Allen at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allentherisafb

Website: https://allentherisa.com/ 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122495311-adventures-about-to-begin 

Buy Yourself a copy - https://geni.us/bGe6z

Out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - I am a Tiger... Sorry, the Abba vibes got be there, enjoy a family trip of joy and pain..)

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

Click below to find out in my dark sci-fi novel...

This review is part of the world-famous ZOOLOOBOOKTOURS!!